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Genesis 11 Bible study: A name for ourselves
The builders of Babel wanted to make a name for themselves and not be scattered; God came down, confused their language, and scattered them. Then the story narrows to one family, Shem's line to Abram, and a wife with no child, and it will be God who makes Abram's name great.
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the words behind the words, what most readers miss, and how it all leads to Jesus.
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“Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. From there, the LORD scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“The LORD came down to see the tower that was meant to reach the sky.”
Is that in Genesis 11, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
Building up, coming down
The people plan "a tower whose top reaches to the sky" (11:4). Then: "The LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built" (11:5). They build upward; the LORD comes down to look at what they built. And in verse 7 he says, "let’s go down" again.
Where it leads to Jesus
Many languages, one message
Genesis 11:9leads toActs 2:6-11
At Babel the LORD confused the language of all the earth. At Pentecost, after Jesus "poured out" the Spirit, people from many nations heard "in our languages the mighty works of God". Acts doesn't mention Babel, so this link is a reading, held by many, of Pentecost as God's answer to Babel. Others see no intended link, and note that the languages aren't undone: each person hears in his own (Acts 2:6).
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Genesis 11
That was a taste
The rest of Genesis 11 is waiting in Favor
- A name they try to make, and one God gives
- What they feared happens
- A family with no child
- Babylon later in the Bible
- Bricks and tar again
- Pentecost
- 13 questions as you read
- 6 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Genesis 11 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
בָּלַלbalalsay ba-LAL
To mingle, mix, confuse, confound (Brown-Driver-Briggs). The text makes it the explanation of the city's name: "its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused (balal) the language of all the earth" (11:9). Bavel and balal sound alike in Hebrew; Strong's derives the name Babel from this verb.
For your group
Genesis 11 Bible study questions
- 1The builders wanted to make a name for themselves. Where are you tempted to build your own name?
- 2They built up toward the sky, and God "came down to see" it. What does that say to you about the things we're proud of?
- 3The chapter ends with a family on the move and a wife with no child. Where are you waiting on something only God can give?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Genesis 11 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read Genesis 11 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Genesis 11 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
Start with Genesis 11
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home